Local name: संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam)
Language family: Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan
Native speakers: Dead language
Script: Devanāgari (+ other Indian scripts)
Official in: India
Spoken mostly in: Hindu temples?

We differ between Classical Sanskrit, which can be heard in the language example below, and the older, more archaic Vedic languages. Classical Sanskrit was codified in Pāṇini’s grammar in the 4th century BCE, and has, as the religious language of Hinduism and the during an important period also of Buddhism, had an influence on languages in South and South East Asia until today; neologisms in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi and other Indian languages (with the exception of Tamil and Urdu) are often created on basis of Sanskrit roots. Vedic Sanskrit should have been used around 1500 BCE, when the Ṛgveda is believed to have been written down.

Sanskrit: “Sūry-ottara-vāta-kathā”
Speaker: Dibya Age at recording: 30 (2013) L1 reference: Reader’s native language is Bengali Transcription scheme: IAST

कस्मिंश्चित्‌ काल उत्तरवातश्च सूर्यश्च विवदेते स्म - को न्वावयोर्बलीयानिति।
तदैव कश्चित्‌ पथिकस्तत्र समुपागत उष्णवस्त्राणि परिदधत्‌।
अतस्ताभ्यां संकल्पितं - यश्चादौ पथिकमेनं स्वगात्रादुष्णवसत्राण्यपनाययितुं शक्ष्यति स एवापरस्माद्बलीयानिति ज्ञास्यते।
अथोत्तरवातो यथाशक्ति सवेगमवात्‌।
यथा च स वेगेन चलति, तथैवासौ पान्थ आत्मानं वस्त्रैर्दृढतरमावृणोति।
अन्ते तु हताशः स यत्नमुत्सृष्टवान्‌।
तदा भानुरभात्‌, दश दिशश्चोष्णैः करैरतापयत्‌।
पथिकश्चाचिरेणोष्णवस्त्राण्यपानयत्‌।
तदा सूर्य एवोभयोर्बलीयान्‌ प्रतिपन्नोऽभवत्‌॥

kasmiṃś-cit kāla uttara-vātaś ca sūryaś ca vivadete sma – ko nv āvayor balīyān iti.
tad-aiva kaś-cit pathikas tatra samupāgata uṣṇa-vasatrāṇi paridadhat.
atas tābhyāṃ saṃkalpitaṃ – yaś c-ādau pathikam enaṃ sva-gātrād uṣṇa-vastrāṇy apanāyayituṃ śakṣyati sa ev-āparasmād balīyān iti jñāsyate.
ath-ottara-vāto yathā-śakti sa-vegam avāt.
yathā ca sa vegena calati, tath-aiv-āsau pāntha ātmānaṃ vastrair dṛḍha-taram āvṛṇoti.
ante tu hatāśaḥ sa yatnam utsṛṣṭavān.
tadā bhānur abhāt, daśa diśaś c-oṣṇaiḥ karair atāpayat.
pathikaś c-ācireṇ-oṣṇa-vastrāṇy apānayat.
tadā sūrya ev-obhayor balīyān pratipanno ‘bhavat.